


Born in the Moonlight

by Carmenlire



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Immortal Alec, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-06 09:16:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17342639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmenlire/pseuds/Carmenlire
Summary: He always look the same, Magnus thinks and his chest shudders at the realization that never gets old, even after all this time.Alec’s sitting up in bed, their dark sheets pooling at his waist. He’s wearing his black-framed glasses and frowns down at the book in his hands, brow furrowed in a way that Alec insists isn’t adorable in the slightest.Magnus knows better.Or, Magnus takes a few minutes to study Alec one evening.





	Born in the Moonlight

Magnus carefully pours a bit of honey in his tea, giving it a stir before placing the spoon in the sink. Lifting the cup to his mouth, he blows across the surface to cool it.

He could use his magic but Magnus has always loved these small mundane gestures.

The loft is shrouded in shadows. Night falls faster in the winter and it’s just before nine as Magnus carefully makes his way out of the kitchen and down the corridor toward the bedroom.

He walks slowly, making sure not to spill any of his tea, and absently blows the steam away.

Their bedroom door is open, golden light spilling into the dark hallway, beckoning Magnus like the best mirage.

He pauses at the threshold of the room, stills as his breath catches and he feels like his heart surges right out of his chest before settling like a cat in front of a fire.

Leaning against the door jamb, Magnus brings his mug of tea up to his mouth with both hands and lets the warmth melt into him as he takes a lingering sip, his eyes carefully studying one of his favorite scenes.

 _He always look the same_ , Magnus thinks and his chest shudders at the realization that never gets old, even after all this time.

Alec’s sitting up in bed, their dark sheets pooling at his waist. He’s wearing his black-framed glasses and frowns down at the book in his hands, brow furrowed in a way that Alec insists isn’t adorable in the slightest.

Magnus knows better.

His husband is wearing a pair of sweats with the elastic half missing. To Magnus’s delight, he knows that they barely stay on, Alec constantly having to hitch them up.

He’s also wearing one of Magnus’s hoodies, one of the ones he usually favors when he’s practicing yoga. It’s a little big on him, makes him look even softer as he reads by the light of the lamp resting on his end table.

Magnus smiles and it’s barely there. He’s far too preoccupied with studying his husband of over a century.

Alec has the same dark hair and the fine skin next to his eyes is stuck in eternal limbo with the barest beginning of wrinkles that are only visible when Alec smiles or throws back his head in laughter.

His hair is messy and Magnus’s fingers itch to run through those lovely locks. Alec keeps in top shape even if he’s no longer on active duty and the stark black deflect rune still stands out on the side of his neck.

He looks the same as he did when he killed that impudent circle member, like he did whenever he kissed Magnus to within an inch of his life and like he did on their own wedding day, grinning at Magnus with his heart in his hands.

Magnus never gets used to it, prays that he never does. Sometimes his breath still catches when he wakes up in the morning and Alec is curled around him, his snoring the only sound in the room. His chest lurches whenever he portals into the loft and sees Alec in the kitchen, making dinner for the two of them that tastes worse than ditch water.

Alec always conveniently has to fiddle with the dining table settings when he arrives home, giving Magnus a few minutes to salvage whatever he’d attempted.

They’ve been together for almost two hundred years and Magnus’s heart still stutters under Alec’s lips, racing as Alec loves him with everything he has.

As Magnus sips at his tea and lingers in the doorway watching Alec, he can’t help but marvel that this is how his life turned out. It doesn’t make the endless pain and suffering easier. It still makes him wish that his heart hadn’t been blended into a goddamn pulp before it had landed in Alec’s careful grasp.

He wishes like hell that he’d never had to be tested so thoroughly, so brutally in order to eventually get his happily ever after.

Still. Knowing that he'd have Alec eventually-- eternally-- would have made those dark nights just the tiniest bit more bearable.

As his gaze plays over the way the lamp light throws shadows against Alec’s face, at the imperceptible rise of his chest as he breathes, at the strong hands gripping the book with his wedding band gleaming dully in the light, Magnus takes a shuddering breath and blinks back the tears that want to form.

“Babe? You okay?”

Shaking his head to clear it, Magnus looks up and meets Alec’s eyes. Alec doesn’t look overly concerned, instead smiling at him like he somehow knows what Magnus is thinking.

With his luck, Magnus’s feelings are splashed all over his face.

Clearing his throat, Magnus pushes himself from the door and pads over to Alec. He holds out the mug and Alec takes it, finishing it off in just a few swallows.

“You didn’t put nearly enough honey in this,” he says with a grin as he places the mug on the nightstand. 

Moving over to his side of the bed, Magnus pulls the covers back as he throws Alec a wry glance.

“I could have poured the entire pot in and it still wouldn’t be sweet enough for you.”

Alec laughs softly as he watches Magnus shuck off his robe and drape it over a nearby chair. His gaze zeros in on Magnus’s chest and Magnus smirks to himself.

Thank God Alec was so easily distracted.

Magnus crawls into bed under the covers and moves until he’s close enough to touch Alec.

Alec hums at the proximity and Magnus grins as he can almost feel Alec leeching all of his body heat.

“I bet I know what’s sweet enough for me, _sweetheart,_ ” Alec murmurs into the scarce space between them.

Magnus shakes his head a little, laughing to himself. He’s just set to give Alec a pitying response because, really, that was too horrible when he looks up and loses himself in those damned hazel eyes.

He can’t help himself-- he doesn’t want to. Magnus leans in and places a lingering kiss on Alec’s waiting mouth. It’s quiet but no less ground shaking and Magnus doesn’t realize that his eyes have fallen shut until they flutter open as he pulls back, taking a shuddering breath.

He opens his eyes to see Alec already staring at him. It’s not the first time and Magnus knows that it’s far from the last but Alec’s expression, everything he sees in those beautiful eyes, makes him close his eyes again to regain his equilibrium.

Alec always stares at him like Magnus is his saving grace when Magnus knows for a fact that it's the other way around.

Magnus starts smiling as he feels Alec kiss his jaw, cheek, the top of his nose before finally kissing him on the lips again. It’s languid, slow, and Magnus’s toe curl against their sheets.

When they pull back this time, Alec looks at him for a few seconds before leaning in close and laying a smacking kiss on his mouth.

“Love you, babe,” he says and Magnus grins as he rolls his eyes, shifting down on the bed until he can rest his head against Alec’s hip, throwing an arm over his middle.

“Love you too, _sweetheart_ ,” Magnus replies and closes his eyes as he feels Alec start to run distracted fingers through his hair as he returns to his book.

Magnus falls asleep to the sound of Alec turning the page and grumbling to himself about a cliffhanger.

He falls asleep warm and content, with peace dripping through his veins like so much moonlight.

He falls asleep like he has consistently, without fail, for decades now.

He falls asleep more in love with Alec than when he woke up that morning and knows his love is returned infinitely, eternally.

**Author's Note:**

> catch me on tumblr or twitter @carmenlire!


End file.
